Tokenism In The Workplace: More Harmful Than You Think
Steps to Combat Tokenism in Your Workplace
It was my third week at a tech startup, and I was excited to present my ideas for improving our app’s user interface. As the only woman leading the product team, I noticed some usability issues my colleagues had overlooked. I’d spent nights and weekends meticulously preparing my presentation, eager for professional recognition.
As I walked into the conference room, our CTO grinned.
“Perfect timing, Neela! We were discussing how to make our product more appealing to female users. You can give us the woman’s perspective, right?”
My heart sank. At that moment, I wasn’t Neela, the skilled product strategist with innovative ideas. I was “the woman” — expected to represent half the world’s population based solely on my gender. My carefully prepared technical presentation was sidelined for impromptu insights on “what women want.”
This is tokenism in action.
The issue isn’t just about being the only woman in the room; it’s about the frustration of being limited to that one aspect of my identity, expected to be the voice for all women instead of being valued for my unique capabilities and perspectives.
